


Come Over Here and Make Me

by tinacita



Category: The White Queen - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-05 01:02:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4159698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinacita/pseuds/tinacita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard and Anne experience their first true fight...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the fight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annetheseamaiden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annetheseamaiden/gifts).



> this is the richard and anne from "it's so quiet here." 
> 
> it was a prompt that took its sweet time coming together.
> 
> enjoy!

I was on my way home to my beautiful fiancé. _Anne…_

I loved her so much. I had spent all day in the library because she needed to finish writing a huge presentation. If the professors liked it, and approved, she could go straight through into the doctoral program.

At the university where I was now teaching, and where Anne was a graduate student, our field offered something a little different. You could get a master’s degree, and then reapply to get your doctorate. Or, if they approved, you could get an associate master’s and proceed directly to obtaining your doctorate.

That’s what Anne and I were hoping would happen. Or so I thought …

For the last few days, after I was done teaching, I would either spend the rest of the day in my office, or in the library…

_“Richard, can I ask you something?” she had asked me on Sunday night._

_“Of course.”_

_“Please don’t be mad,” she said hesitantly._

_“Why would I be mad?”_

_“Do you think, maybe, that you can stay in your office until 7 or so every night this week?” she asked, unable to look at me._

_“Why?”_

_“Um, well, you know that I’m working on my big presentation. And when you’re here with me, well, I don’t want to work on it,” she replied, looking down at her hands._

_“Do I bother you? Am I too loud?”_

_“Not exactly… you… distract me,” she whispered._

_“How do I distract you?”_

_She sighed. “I don’t want to work when you’re here! I want to be with you, do things with you…”_

_“Anne!”_

_She blushed. “I don’t mean that! Well… not just that! You know how I like snuggling up on the couch with you, watching TV or reading. I like when we cook dinner together, too.”_

_“All right… but if you need help, or if you get lonely, just call me ok?"_

_Anne smiled as she leaned in to kiss me. “Yes… Dr. York.”_

It was Friday, and I knew that she’d been working hard all week; I stopped at the bakery and picked up some pastries for us to have after dinner.

As I walked up the sidewalk, I heard loud music coming from our house. That was surprising, as Anne preferred to have it quiet while she was working.

I was utterly shocked when I opened the door. Twirling around in the middle of the living room was Anne, music blaring, a glass of wine in her hand.

“Anne!” I shouted.

She whipped around and tried pulling me into her bizarre dance. I sidestepped her groping arm, and immediately turned the music down.

“What’d you do that for?” she pouted.

“I could hear the music outside!” I said. “Do you want the neighbours to call the police?”

“No, but I was having a good time,” she said, still pouting.

“What’s in the box?”

“I bought some desserts for later,” I said, calming down. “Did you get finished?”

She flopped onto the couch and put down her wine glass. “Nope,” she said.

“I thought you said you were almost done,” I asked, joining her.

She got up without looking at me and went into the kitchen.

 _Something’s not right,_ I thought.

“Anne? Is something wrong?” I inquired as I met her in the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” she responded, still not looking at me.

“Anne. Look at me, please,” I said gently, reaching for her hand.

She pulled away.

“Anne. Please tell me what the matter is,” I pleaded.

“Nothing!” she screamed, striding out of the kitchen.

I followed, but instead I walked into the library we shared. I saw her laptop on her desk, and went over to it. It was still on, and open to her presentation.

I gasped loudly as I saw that she basically had written 1 page this week. I was further alarmed that she had only written 15 pages of a 50 page paper and presentation which was due on Monday.

“Get away from there!” she yelled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

As calmly as I could, I asked, “Do you need help? Are you stuck? You’re not even halfway done yet.”

She walked behind the desk and slammed her laptop shut. “I do NOT need YOUR help,” she huffed.

My patience was slowly disintegrating. “Well, have you spoken to your professor or advisor? I’m sure they’d be glad to help.”

“I DO NOT NEED HELP!” she shouted.

“Why are you yelling at me? I’m just trying to figure out why you’re struggling so badly. It’s due on Monday,” I said frustrated.

“Thank you, Dr. York. I know when the due date is,” she replied sarcastically.

“Then I think you’d be making every extra effort to finish instead of traipsing around the living room and drinking,” I responded tersely.

“And what are you going to do about it, huh?” she asked snidely.

I just stood there for a minute, looking at her. Something was very definitely wrong. Anne was always very studious and conscientious about her work. The young woman standing in front of me was very nearly unrecognizable.

Before I could answer, she said haughtily, “Are you going to come over here and make me do it?”

Completely stunned, the only thing I could do was leave. I grabbed my keys off the small table in the foyer, got in my car, and drove off…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 _Oh my god! He left!_ I thought as I slumped to the floor.

I’m not exactly sure how things took such a wrong turn. Actually, I am…

I did really well writing on Monday night, and I was very encouraged that my request of Richard would work.

However, on Tuesday, I started struggling. I emailed my professor on Tuesday and told him that I’d hit a wall with my presentation. He gave me a few suggestions, and told me to let him know how I was getting on.

In truth, I knew exactly why I started to have problems. Richard wasn’t there. Despite the fact that he was distracting, his presence was comforting. And he encouraged me, sometimes without me even realizing it.

Well, nothing worked, and on Wednesday, I was not only frustrated, but scared. I knew, like Richard, that if I did really well, I could jump into the doctoral program.

And I wanted to finish sooner rather than later. We had agreed to wait until I finished with all of my studies to get married. He didn’t want my grades to suffer because I was too focused on planning our wedding.

_My sweet, caring, thoughtful Richard…_

So I truly wanted this presentation to be outstanding. I knew that if we had to wait longer, Richard wouldn’t be upset. He wanted me to succeed.

I, however, am VERY anxious to be Richard’s wife. I know, deep down, that the vows and piece of paper won’t change anything between us. In all reality, we are married – we live together, share all the expenses – we do what any other married couple would do.

But after everything that we went through to be together…

So between the pressure to write and prepare a superb presentation, and the overwhelming desire to be Mrs. Richard York, I snapped. And even worse, I blew up at him…


	2. the cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> richard tries to cope with his and anne's first fight

I drove aimlessly for a bit, and then decided to head for the cabin.

Before leaving the city, I stopped at the market to get some food. As I waiting in the checkout line, I texted Francis…

_Had a huge fight with Anne. Going to the cabin._

He replied almost immediately…

_What happened? Is everything ok?_

I couldn’t respond as the cashier was waiting on me and I didn’t want to be rude. When I finished putting the groceries in the car, I picked up my phone to see 3 messages from my best friend…

_Are you ok? – Where are you now? – I’m heading to the cabin. I’ll meet you there._

Despite my foul mood, I smiled. Francis had been so supportive through the entire ordeal and he really did like Anne. Plus, he was genuinely happy for us – if there is still an “us.”

Before heading out, I responded…

_Leaving the market now. See you soon. Thanks._

About an hour later, I arrived at the cabin. I was grabbing the groceries when I noticed the headlights behind me. I paused, and waited for Francis.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do this,” I said sadly.

“Come on. Let’s get inside and then you can tell me what happened,” he replied. We silently climbed the stairs, and I led us inside.

I sighed, and tried to calm the impending tears. The last time I had been here was on Valentine’s Day, with Anne.

“You ok?” Francis asked.

I shook my head, and walked into the kitchen. Francis watched wordlessly as I put the food away. I then joined him at the table.

“What happened?” he finally asked.

I sighed again, and told him what transpired earlier that evening. He listened patiently, and once I finished, he just sat there for a minute.

“And you left? You didn’t even say anything?” Francis said eventually.

“What I was going to say? It was as if the Anne I know and love disappeared and was replaced by a crazy woman standing in front of me!” I replied, upset.

Francis took a deep breath before continuing. “All I’m saying is that maybe you should’ve tried talking to her before you stormed off…”

“Do you really think she would’ve listened to anything that I had to say? Anne LIED to me, Francis. She told me that she was almost done. She assured me that she wasn’t having any major issues with her paper. And then I learn that she’s only written 15 of 50 pages. How was I supposed to react?!” I shouted.

“I understand that you’re upset, Richard,” Francis started.

“Upset? I’m beyond upset! Anne LIED to me. After everything that we endured to be together, we promised that we would honest with one another, that we’d ask for help, that we wouldn’t be afraid to talk… Apparently I’m the only one who meant it!” I retorted.

“Richard! That’s enough!” Francis screamed.

I looked at him, stunned that he’d yelled at me.

“Now listen, Richard. You and I both know that she loves you more than anything. And remember, she is younger than you, and this is all very new to her,” Francis began.

I glanced over at him, waiting for him to continue.

“You also know that she DID mean what she said. But you seem to have forgotten a few very important things,” he said, calming down.

“And what might they be?” I asked somewhat sarcastically.

“First, university is stressful. The pressure gets to everyone. Do I need to remind you how many times I brought food to your place because you’d get so wrapped up in your work you’d forget to eat?” Francis stated.

I grumbled.

“Second, Anne is, as you know QUITE well, a woman. Even your beloved will flip out from time to time,” Francis continued.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

“And, you may not have realized this, but she’s been extra stressed out to do well,” Francis said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, not quite understanding.

“You told her that you wanted to wait until she finished before you got married,” Francis continued.

“Yes. I don’t want her to neglect her studies for that,” I responded.

“I know, but she wants to marry you SO desperately. And she knows that if she can jump ahead into the doctoral program that you’ll be able to marry sooner,” he finished.

I sighed again. “That is true. But she LIED to me!” I argued. “That is unacceptable!”

“Really Richard? Like you’ve never lied to Anne…” Francis replied frustrated.

“No! I have been completely honest with her since we… I made that promise!” I yelled in response. “How can I marry her if she lies to me? You of all people should understand why I feel so strongly about this.”

Francis looked down at the table, knowing all too well why I felt this way.

I pushed my chair out and got up.

“I’m going to take the boat out for a bit. If you’re still here when I get back, I’ll make something for us to eat.”

“Yes, I’ll be here. I’m not going to run off just because I didn’t like what you said,” Francis replied sarcastically.

“Fine,” I said, grabbing my jacket.

“Be careful, ok?” Francis shouted as I opened the front door.

I walked back into the kitchen. “I will be. I won’t be gone long,” I said, and then left to go down to the lake.

I grabbed the lantern out of the boathouse and made my way to the dock.

As I rowed out into the lake, I thought about what Francis said. He did make some valid points, but the fact remained that Anne had LIED to me. She knew about everything that happened. She knew how I self-destructed and nearly ruined my life. And yet Anne still did it.

_How could Francis think that I wouldn’t be angry?_

I kept rowing, venturing into the center of the lake. I was so conflicted. My heart ached. But my brain couldn’t let go of the lie.

“DAMMIT!” I screamed into the blackness.

Since shouting into the darkness wasn’t helping, I decided that I better start rowing back. As I approached the shore, I noticed another car.

_Great! I bet Francis called my brother. Just great!_

I couldn’t have been more wrong. I entered the house, and stopped dead in my tracks.

Francis had, in fact, called Mr. Neville, who now stood up to greet me.

“Mr. Neville, sir,” I said, extending my hand. “I apologize for your having to drive out here so late.”

He just nodded, and returned to his chair.

I glared at Francis as I took my coat off and joined them in the living room. I sat down on the couch with Francis, debating whether I should start the inevitable conversation. Thankfully, or maybe not, Mr. Neville did so.

“So, Francis tells me that you and my daughter had some sort of disagreement. What happened?” Mr. Neville asked calmly.

I sighed, and recounted this evening’s events yet again. He just sat there, listening silently, as Francis had. This time, however, I also explained why I left, and why I was so upset.

When I was finished, Mr. Neville still remained quiet. He regarded me for a few minutes before speaking.

“Well… I can certainly understand why you’re so upset, Richard. And I must agree that Anne’s behavior is somewhat perplexing. What concerns me even more is that I spoke with her on Wednesday. She gave me no indication that there were any problems at all,” the older Richard said, his worry evident.

“Honestly, sir, I’m very conflicted. I love Anne, very much, but she lied to me. All she had to do was tell me how she was feeling, and even if she didn’t want my help, I would’ve done whatever was necessary to get her some help. But she didn’t…” I said glumly.

“What are you planning to do, Richard?” Mr. Neville then inquired.

“I don’t know,” I sighed, “I came up here to be alone, and think. If I go home now, I’ll yell and make things worse, or I’ll forgive her unconditionally, and she won’t understand why I was so angry.”

“I see. May I suggest that you stay here? I suspect Anne may need some time to cool off and examine her predicament as well,” Mr. Neville said.

Francis, who had sat silently, agreed. “I can stay, too, if you want. I didn’t have any plans for the weekend.”

Before I could speak, Mr. Neville concurred. “That’s an excellent idea, Francis. You can keep Richard from getting into any trouble, or doing something foolish.”

With that, Anne’s father stood. “Francis, thank you. I’ll be touch.”

“You’re welcome sir. And thank you,” my best friend replied, accompanying the older Richard to the door.

“And Richard? Don’t fret. All will be resolved,” Mr. Neville said, waving good bye.

_Don’t fret? How can I not worry? What if I screwed this up beyond repair? What if she doesn’t understand why I was so upset? What if she doesn’t care?_

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. I looked at it, and then put it back. I returned to the living room, and slumped down on the couch.

The tears I was holding back finally fell. When Francis came back into the house, he found me crying, with my face in my hands.

“Hey! Don’t worry! Everything is going to be ok,” Francis said, trying to calm me down.

I just looked up him, and shook my head. I stood, and went up to my room.

_I really hope you’re right, my friend…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :)


	3. Meg and Mr. Neville

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anne realizes her mistakes and hopes that it's not too late

I don’t even know how long I’d been sitting on the floor when my phone rang. As much I wanted it to be Richard, I knew that it wasn’t.

When I saw the picture on the screen, I almost let it go to voicemail. But I needed some advice, and Meg, Richard’s sister, had become a really good friend.

“Anne! I’m so glad you answered. I’ve been trying to get Richard and he’s not answering his phone. Is he there?” Meg asked.

“No, he’s not here,” I sniffed.

“Anne? What’s wrong?” Meg asked suddenly.

“Oh Meg!” I sobbed. “I think I really screwed up…”

“Are you home?” she asked.

“Yes,” I cried.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” Meg said hanging up quickly.

The phone dropped from my hand and I just wept on the floor.

Sometime later, there was a knock on the door. I picked myself up, and trudged to the foyer.

Meg gasped as I opened the door. “Oh my god Anne!” she shrieked as she pulled me into her arms. “What happened?”

I couldn’t speak; I was still crying so hard. She led me into the living room. She sat me down on the couch, and then went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with 2 cups of tea.

“Sip this,” Meg ordered gently.

I did as I was told, and after a bit, I started to tell her what happened. Meg just sat and listened, not saying anything. I sighed when I was finished, but she sat there silently.

I hadn’t looked at her the entire time I was talking, but when I did, I was a little surprised. Meg had tears in her eyes.

“Meg!” I cried, “What’s the matter? Oh god, now I’ve upset you too.”

She shook her head and grabbed my free hand.

“No, Anne. I don’t think you quite understand.”

I looked at her, confused, and shrugged my shoulders. “I guess I don’t.”

Meg took a deep breath and started. “First, I want you to know how much I adore you, and how happy I am that we’ve become such good friends. But I need you to listen very carefully, and please don’t be angry. I’m saying this because I care about you and my brother.”

I nodded, and let her continue.

“I know why you’re so stressed out. You want to do well, not only for yourself, but also to finish earlier so you and Richard can be married. I know, too, that you want him to proud of you, like you are of him.

I understand why you behaved this way. You want to prove to yourself, and to Richard, that you can handle things, that you don’t always have to run to him or someone else for help. And that’s admirable,” Meg stated.

“But…” I asked hesitantly, already anticipating what she was going to say next.

“But you lied to him, Anne. After everything that he’s been through – that you’ve both endured – you do the one thing that he can’t tolerate,” Meg said softly.

I began to sob again. “I know! But everyone thinks I’m too young for all of this! I was just trying to make them see that I’m not!”

She moved closer to me and put her arm around me.  “Oh Anne…”

I pulled back to look at her, the tears still flowing. “I’ve ruined everything, haven’t I? He’s never going to forgive me for this!” I wailed.

She continued to try and soothe me, but I was inconsolable.

After a few more minutes of weeping, I stood up and excused myself.

I slowly made my way to the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. I viewed the reflection in the mirror, and tried not to start crying again. I looked utterly pathetic, and it was my own fault.

_What the hell I was thinking? Why do I have to be so damn obstinate?_

All I had to do was tell him the truth; I was wrong, and I needed him here with me. But no! I had to be stubborn, and try to resolve the situation by myself. The only I thing I succeeded in doing was make it infinitely worse.

And now, here I stand. I did the one thing that I promised I wouldn’t do. I sank to the floor and started crying again, my heart breaking.

I don’t even know how long I was weeping in the bathroom when Meg knocked.

“Anne? I know you’re upset, but someone is here to see you. Can you please come out?” she asked.

At first, I just sat there, unwilling and unable to move.

 _Oh my god! Maybe it’s Richard!_ I thought hopefully, as I jumped up from the floor. I splashed some cold water on my face, and ran the brush through my hair.

I opened the door, and walked quickly into the living room. I knew it had been a longshot, but I still was completely disheartened, even though my father stood there.

He was talking with Meg, and didn’t see me right away. When he did, he face contorted into such a shocked expression that I immediately began to cry.

“Oh Anne…” Mr. Neville said as he opened his arms. I ran into my father’s arms, and we stood there for a minutes.

Meg left for a bit, and then returned with some fresh tea for the 3 of us.

I sat down on the couch with my dad, had a few sips of the tea, and laid my head on his shoulder. He said nothing, and neither did Meg.

Finally, my dad spoke. “Anne, would you like to tell me what happened? It might help if you do.”

I shook my head and sighed. “I don’t think that even you can fix things this time…”

“Let me be the judge of that,” he responded. “Tell me.”

So, I told my sad, stupid tale yet again. I also explained to my father why I did it. I expected to yell at me for being so foolish, for acting like the “unexperienced young woman” that so many people believed me to be. Although at this moment, they weren’t wrong.

Instead, my father just hugged me tight, and rubbed my back. He used to the same thing when I was little, and it always made me feel better. It was helping, but what I really needed was Richard…

“Anne,” he said as he broke our embrace, “I need you to listen to me, ok?”

I nodded, and looked at my father.

“My stubborn girl, you really have wrenched things up… But I do believe that we can repair the damage you’ve caused,” he said in a stern voice.

“Really?” I asked weakly.

He sighed. “I was up at the York cabin, per Francis’ request. Richard was wholly distraught, and rightfully so, after what you did. He went up to the cabin to sort things out. He told Francis what happened, and when Richard went out onto the lake, Francis called me. He was extremely worried about his friend and you as well.”

“Oh god!” I whimpered.

“So I went up there to ascertain the gravity of the situation. And it’s not pretty… AT ALL,” he said.

I began to cry, knowing that I was the reason for Richard being so upset. I felt my father take my hand and squeeze it.

“Anne, you need to listen to me,” he said strongly. “Richard is angry, but he still loves you. His heart understands why you lied, but his brain can only see the lie. He was quite torn. The anguish was discernible, and Francis was unable to console him, which is why he called me.”

“What did you say?” I asked, still crying.

“I told him not to worry. I told him it would be ok,” my father said.

“How can it be? I lied to him because I was selfish and stubborn! He’ll never forgive me for this!” I wailed.

“STOP THIS RIGHT NOW ANNE!” my father screamed, pulling away.

I jumped, and I was a little scared when I saw the look on the face. Meg was, too.

“This childish behavior is unacceptable! If you want me to help you, then you need to start acting like the adult you claim to be,” he said harshly.

I was stunned that my father was doing this to me. I looked over at Meg, and she nodded in agreement with him.

Deep down, I knew that he was right, and that he was trying to help me. But his bluntness was frightening me.

“I… I…” I stammered, trying to stop my tears.

Meg took pity on me and sat down on my other side. “Come on, Anne. You can do it. I know how much you love my brother, and how badly you want to fix this.”

I glanced up at her, and she nodded again. She was also correct.

_I love Richard with all of my heart and soul. I have to do this!_

“Ok. What do I have to do?” I asked cautiously.

My father looked at me, then at Meg.

“Meg, are you able to stay with Anne tonight?”

“Yes. I don’t have plans for tomorrow. I’d be happy to help in any way that I can,” she replied, smiling at me.

“Good. You can keep her from doing anything else foolish,” he said, looking disapprovingly at me.

He continued. “Now, you have to get this paper done by Monday, yes?”

I sighed. “Yes. And I’m not even halfway done. I… I just gave up when I got stuck,” I said, unable to look at my father.

“Is there any possibility you can an extension?” Meg asked.

“Anne will NOT be requesting an extension. She is going to get her work done on time,” my father said, turning to look at me. “It’s your own fault that you’re in this predicament. You will just have to work extra hard, won’t you?” he said roughly.

“Yes, sir,” I replied quietly.

“Before you start working on that, there’s one thing you must do,” he said.

“Yes?” I asked.

He walked over to the coffee table and handed me my phone.

“Call Richard and apologize. Tell him exactly why you did it. Then inform him that you will be finishing your paper and presentation for Monday. Let him know that Meg is staying with you,” he commanded.

“What if he won’t answer my call?” I inquired dejectedly.

“He won’t. And I don’t blame him. However, I’ve already texted Francis and told him to confiscate Richard’s phone for a bit. Leave him a message. Francis will return his phone later, and he’ll listen to it,” my father instructed.

I just sighed.

“Meg, thank you very much. Anne, you leave that message, and start working. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to see you. And I EXPECT you to have made progress,” my father said before leaving.

I watched my father leave. _That didn’t go like I thought._

“I’m going to call my friend and have her drop a few things off for me. Do you want me to have her pick up anything for you?” Meg asked.

I hugged her, saying, “Thanks. I’m sorry you got dragged into my mess. I appreciate your help. If it’s not a bother, can she maybe pick up some vanilla fudge ice cream?”

Meg giggled. “I’ll have her get some for me too. And you don’t have to thank me. We’re friends. We help each other and take care of each other. Besides, I know how much you and Richard love each other. And your dad loves you, too. He’ll help you figure it all out,” she assured.

“Thanks. I guess I’d better go make this call,” I said glumly.

As I walked into our library/office, I thought about what my father and Meg said.

I took a deep breath, and made the call. When I heard Richard’s voice on his message, I nearly lost my resolve.

_Be strong! You can do this! You have to!_

When his message was done and it beeped, I started… “It’s me. I’m SO sorry. I was wrong. I lied to you because I was frustrated, upset and scared. My stubbornness only made things worse. And now… I may have ruined everything. I apologize, and I wanted to let you know that Meg is staying with me. And I’m going to finish my work for Monday, come hell or high water. I only hope that… that you can forgive me. I love you…”

I hung up before he could hear me sniffing back the tears that were threatening to fall. I grabbed my iPod and headphones, turned my laptop on, and started working.

_Please god, let him find it in his heart to forgive me…_


	4. working through it

As I sat on the deck watching the sunrise, I was again reminded of when Anne & I were here for Valentine’s Day.

_Oh Anne…_

I took another sip of my coffee, and wondered how she was. I felt even worse Friday night after listening to her message. She sounded utterly distraught. And I was the reason for her feeling that way.

I knew that I was going to forgive her, but trusting her again would take some time. I was glad that she realized why I was so upset, and that she admitted it was a stupid mistake for her to make. But still…

I suspected that Mr. Neville went to see her after he left here, and that he made her leave me that message.

_I must remember to thank him for helping us again._

I sighed. I had neglected my own work this weekend because I was so caught up in all of this with Anne.

I quietly walked back into the kitchen and turned on my laptop. While I was waiting, I read Anne’s text messages. She apologized in every one, and reported on her progress. I was glad that she was getting her presentation done.

Seeing Anne’s face on my screen however upset me all over again. I took a few deep breaths to calm down before starting my own work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had stayed up late Friday night working, not going to bed until 3am. I don’t even know why I bothered trying to sleep. It was completely futile. I have a hard enough time sleeping without Richard and knowing that he was upset with me didn’t help at all.

I tossed and turned, and finally at 7am, I decided that I’d had enough. So I got up and showered, made some coffee, and went back into the library to work.

It was almost noon on Saturday when my father arrived. I didn’t hear him, as I was listening to my iPod. I said goodbye to Meg and had lunch with my father. He yelled at me for not eating. I wasn’t really hungry, though.

He then mandated that I get some fresh air before returning to my work. At that point on Saturday afternoon, I was on page 32, and had the presentation completed up to that point as well.

My father stayed with me Saturday night, making dinner for us, and cleaning up so I could keep working. I had texted Richard to let him know, again, how sorry I was for everything, and that I was making progress on my work. I also informed him that my father was staying with me. Even though he didn’t respond, I knew that he had at least read them, and that gave me some hope.

By the time I went to bed on Saturday night at 2am, I had 42 pages written, and the corresponding sections of my presentation were also completed. I was starting to feel better about the whole thing.

I showered briefly and crawled into bed, thinking of Richard.

I slept restlessly, but at least I slept. I woke up at 7:15am to the smell of coffee. As I walked out into the kitchen, I saw my father already dressed.

“Good morning. I’m very encouraged to see you awake so early. I’ll be leaving for mass soon. I’m going to stop at the bakery and get us something for breakfast. We’ll eat when I return,” he stated.

“Thanks daddy, for everything,” I said hugging him again.

He pulled away a bit and looked down at me. “Remember this. Do NOT be so foolish in the future,” he cautioned.

I smiled and nodded. I grabbed my coffee and headed into the library to start working. I sent Richard a quick text as I waited for my laptop to power up.

When my father returned, I was on page 45. I stopped to eat the delectable pastries that he got for us. While he was cleaning up, I went outside for a bit. I sat on the swing, and texted Richard.

_Good morning. I’m almost done with my work. I hope you’re feeling better. I’m SO sorry. I’ll understand if you don’t want to come home yet. I love you._

I sighed, thinking about how many lovely times we’d enjoyed out here. I was just about to go inside when my phone vibrated. It was Richard.

_I’m glad you’re almost done. I know it couldn’t have been an easy task. I’m actually trying to catch up on my own work. I’ll be home later this evening._

I smiled sadly. _He didn’t say ‘I love you,’ but at least he responded. That’s a start!_

My father was waiting for me in the library when I returned. “How much do you have left to finish?” he inquired.

I was rereading Richard’s message and not paying any attention to my father.

“Anne!” he yelled.

My head snapped up as I realized that he was speaking to me.

“Huh?” He sighed.

“What on that phone has you so engrossed?” he asked.

I smiled weakly. “I sent Richard a text and he responded.”

“Is he coming home?” my father asked softly.

I nodded. “He said he’d be home later tonight,” I answered.

“I told you that everything would work out,” he said.

“But he didn’t say ‘I love you,’” I responded quietly.

My father walked over to me and hugged me tightly. “Anne, you lied to him. You hurt him. You can’t expect things to immediately return to normal. You will need to regain his trust. Give him some time. It’ll be ok,” he said gently.

“I hope so. I really love him, daddy,” I said, still hugging my father.

“I know you do, Anne. And he knows that, too. Just give him some time, and don’t pressure him. Remember how this felt. Learn from your mistakes, Anne,” he said.

“I will,” I said, pulling away. “I have 5 pages to finish, the corresponding part to the presentation, and my bibliography. Then I want to shower, and straighten up a bit. I might make something for dinner, too. Then I’ll proofread everything, and it’ll be done.”

My father smiled. “That is a sound plan. However, I will clean things up while you’re working. When I’m finished, I’ll leave. Focus on your work.”

“Thanks daddy,” I said as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I read Richard’s message one more time, and resumed working.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know, if I’m going to keep taking care of you, I deserve a paycheck!” Francis joked.

“Very funny. Thanks for making lunch, though,” I said tiredly.

“How much do you have left?” he asked.

“I actually got most of it done. I should be able to finish it in an hour or so,” I said.

“Good. Then I’ll take us out on the lake for a bit, so you can relax. No offense, but you look awful Richard,” Francis said.

“Gee thanks,” I responded sarcastically. “This whole situation has been a nightmare.”

Francis stopped cleaning up the kitchen and sat down across from me. “You are going to forgive her, right?” he asked quietly.

I sighed. “How can I not? I love her Francis. She means everything to me. But it will take some time for me to trust her again.”

“I know. But you also told me she sounded horrible in her message, and that she’s apologized in her texts, too. You must know how badly she feels. She loves you more than life itself, Richard,” he said softly.

I sighed again. He was right. Anne was even more a wreck than I was.

“We’ll get back to where we were eventually. I’ll just need some time,” I replied.

“I’m the last one who should be giving you advice, but please… don’t be too hard on her. You know why she did what she did. And I’m not saying that it’s ok. But she admitted it, and profusely apologized. That’s just as important,” Francis continued.

Before I could agree, Francis continued. “She’s young, and knows what she wants. She got scared and messed up. We all do. Just remember how hard you fought to be together, and how much you love each other.”

I nodded. “I know. But in the same respect, if I let it go, then who’s to say she won’t do it again?” I argued.

“I don’t disagree with you Richard. But Anne is smart. She’ll remember this weekend for a VERY long time. Just don’t be too harsh,” my best friend countered.

I smiled. “I couldn’t be that mean even if I truly wanted to be.”

Francis stood. “Let’s go. The fresh air will make you feel better. And then you can finish up your work and we’ll head back.”

I hugged my friend, and said, “Thank you so much Francis. You may be right about that paycheck, too!”

Francis smiled. “You and I have been through a lot. You’re like my brother. Besides, I like Anne. She’s good for you.”

I was smiling as we walked down to the dock.

_I DO love you, Anne…_

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading :)


End file.
